Answer
Who can help me get SEIS advance assurance?
Four types of provider file SEIS and EIS advance assurance (often written advanced assurance): specialist SEIS/EIS consultancies, accountants with venture capital scheme experience, startup law firms, and self-serve online platforms. You can also file it yourself directly with HMRC. Mida OS is a boutique specialist: fixed £449, a named adviser, and a 100% approval record on the applications we have filed.
Your options compared
| Option | Typical fee | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Mida OS (specialist consultancy) | £449 fixed | You want it drafted, filed and chased for you by a named adviser |
| Accountant | £500-£1,500 | They already know your numbers and have filed SEIS/EIS before |
| Startup law firm | £1,000-£3,000+ | The round is complex or institutional and needs legal drafting anyway |
| Self-serve platform | Subscription plus per-filing cost | You are happy to write the application yourself in a template |
| Do it yourself | Free | You have read the HMRC manual and have time to handle their questions |
What to check before you pick anyone
- How many SEIS and EIS advance assurance applications they have actually filed
- Whether the fee is fixed or hourly, and what happens if HMRC asks questions
- Whether they review eligibility before filing, or just complete the form
- Who answers HMRC's correspondence: them or you
- Whether they also handle the post-round SEIS1/EIS1 statement and SEIS3/EIS3 certificates
- Whether you get a named person or a ticket queue
When you genuinely do not need help
If your company is straightforward, clearly inside the SEIS limits, trading in an obviously qualifying activity, with a written plan and a named investor, you can file directly with HMRC yourself at no cost. Help earns its fee where there is doubt: prior grants or state aid, a trading-age question, group structures, or use of funds that could read as anything other than growth.
Primary sources
What Mida OS actually does
We are a boutique SEIS and EIS consultancy in the UK. We check your eligibility, draft and file the advance assurance application with HMRC, and answer HMRC's questions until the letter arrives. Fixed fee of £449 for SEIS, EIS or both, and every application we have filed has been approved. After your round closes we file the SEIS1 or EIS1 compliance statement and issue SEIS3 and EIS3 certificates at £50 per investor.